South Sudan's President Salva Kiir Mayardit has sacked Second Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel and demoted him from the military rank of general to private status.

Also sacked on Wednesday, were the ruling SPLM party's Secretary-General Paul Logale Jumi, the South Sudanese central bank Governor Addis Ababa Othow, and the country's revenue Commissioner-General Simon Akuei.

Akol Paul Kordit will replace Logale as SPLM secretary-general, while William Anyuon Kuol will serve as the new revenue chief.

This was announced in a presidential decree read on state television, SSBC, on Wednesday. No reasons were given for Bol Mel's dismissal from government and military.

Private status

"Pursuant to the provisions of Section 51(4) of the National Security Service Act 2014 as amended, I, Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan, do hereby demote General Benjamin Bol Mel to the rank of private, and he is hereby dismissed from the National Security Service," the presidential decree said.

While the decree did not expressly give reasons for Bol Mel's dismissal, the quoted law, Section 51(4) of National Security Service Act 2014, states: "Any person who is found committing any one of the offences against the state as provided under section 7 of this Act, or who is reasonably suspected of having committed, or having attempted to commit or being about to commit such an offence, shall be arrested without a warrant by any service officer and detained."

The cited Section 51(7) of the Act speaks about "conviction by a court for a criminal offence."

Bol Mel, who was widely viewed as President Kiir's potential successor, was appointed vice president on February 10, 2025, and promoted to the rank of four-star general from lieutenant general on September 15.

Close with president

Given that the military operates on a disciplined command structure, his promotion to the rank of general placed him in a prominent position of authority.

Until his appointment as second vice president in charge of the economic cluster in government, Bol Mel was President Kiir's adviser.

Specifically, he served as the head of state's adviser on special programmes, after previous stints as his financial adviser and private secretary.

Bol Mel is also a prominent businessman dealing in infrastructure construction. He previously led the South Sudan Chamber of Commerce as its chairperson.

Swift rise

Largely quiet in the business circles, Bol Mel's entry into government was a move few people in South Sudan predicted.

Between February and September 2025, the former vice president — whose age is reported to be between 46 and 47 years — swiftly rose within South Sudan's power structure.

In May, President Kiir appointed him the first deputy chairperson of SPLM, a position that until then belonged to James Wani Igga, a long-serving member of the ruling party, who Bol Mel replaced as vice president in February.

Under SPLM's power structure, Bol Mel was just a position below Kiir, who is the party's national chairperson. He has now lost that position after Kiir dismissed him as first deputy chairperson of SPLM on Wednesday. Bol Mel's successor was not immediately named.

US sanctions

Internationally, former Vice President Bol Mel had a strained relationship with the United States.

In December 2017, the US, under President Donald Trump, sanctioned him after his construction company, ABMC Limited, was linked with irregularly receiving contracts worth tens of millions of dollars from the South Sudanese government.

The funds were intended for the construction of several roads in South Sudan.

Despite the South Sudanese government repeatedly protesting the sanctions and calling for their removal, the US renewed its sanctions against Bol Mel in April 2025.

Bol Mel is married to Sarah Peter Nyot Kok, a lawyer who was appointed South Sudan's top prosecutor in early September 2025.